Search form

TRENDING:

Dems frustrated with healthcare critics

Democratic leaders are growing frustrated with Senate Republicans and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for clouding prospects for timely passage of the healthcare overhaul by way of their critiques.

Aides to Baucus have voiced their frustration over CBO in meetings with other Democrats.

And on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) scolded CBO for refusing to recognize the federal savings that will result from the party's healthcare reform proposals.

“You name any positive investment that we make that we know reduces cost, brings money to the Treasury — in the case of education — but is never scored positively by the CBO. Yes, it’s frustrating,” Pelosi said Thursday.

Growing frustrations with CBO have spurred some Democrats to consider shelving cost estimates from the agency and using projections from another source, such as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which is part of the Obama administration.

“CBO will always give you the worst-case scenario of an initiative and never a best-case — any credit for anything that happens if you have early intervention in healthcare, if you have prevention, if you have wellness, if you have inoculation of children,” Pelosi said.